Sacramento family faces $800 in damages after 12-year-old kicks in door in possible TikTok challenge
A Sacramento family has hundreds of dollars in damage after police say a twelve-year-old kicked in their door in what may be tied to a viral TikTok challenge.
Sacramento police responded to South Sacramento, near Lemarsh Way, after 10:30 p.m. last Monday for a vandalism report. The 12-year-old went home to their parent on the same night.
The so-called "Door Kick Challenge" involves teens kicking in strangers' doors in the middle of the night and then running away. While Sacramento police haven't confirmed this was the inspiration for the vandalism, the homeowners see the parallels between what happened at their home and other headlines across the country.
"Kicking down someone's door? You can get seriously hurt," said Jennifer Farias, the homeowner. "It's traumatizing."
Farias told CBS Sacramento she was asleep in their living room next to her newborn baby when the door was kicked in, just inches from them. She believed they were the targets of a break-in and that the suspect could be inside the house.
Her husband ran outside and shortly after, police arrived, Farias said.
"I would've never thought that this is something kids do nowadays," Farias said.
Now, the family says they have at least $800 in damages to replace the front door and fix the wall. For now, Farias says they stack up furniture and reinforce the still-broken door with wood in an effort to "feel safer."
"I'm still scared. I'm still scared to come home. I don't sleep very good, just because I'm like, what if somebody comes in and tries to break down my door again?"
Sacramento police confirm to CBS Sacramento that the case is still open and classified as felony vandalism.